Mike Tomlin doesn’t hold back on ‘junior varsity’ Steelers after Christmas dud vs. Chiefs

Mike Tomlin is not happy.

His Steelers gave their fans a lump of coal on Christmas with a dud performance against the Chiefs at home in a 29-10 loss, Pittsburgh’s third straight defeat in 10 days.

While the three losses were all against strong competition, having lost to the Eagles and Ravens before Wednesday’s defeat, the playoff-bound Steelers (10-6) lost all three by double digits and don’t seem ready to make a Super Bowl run.

“That sucked, to be blunt,” Tomlin told reporters after Wednesday’s loss. “Not the type of ball we want to play and really kind of eerily similar to our last performance in that we’re not doing the fundamental things well enough.”

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin (l.) talks with linebacker Payton Wilson (r.) during a loss to the Chiefs on Dec. 25, 2024. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

That wasn’t all.

“The bottom line is, this is junior varsity,” the coach added. “It’s not good enough. We got to own that.”

The Steelers had no answer for Patrick Mahomes, who led the Chiefs (15-1) to the No. 1 seed in the AFC with the win.

Mahomes was 29-for-38 with 320 yards, three touchdowns, and zero turnovers.

His counterpart, Russell Wilson, was 23-for-37 with 205 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. Tight end Pat Freiermuth also lost a fumble.

Pittsburgh’s loss puts them a game behind the Ravens — who improved to 11-5 with a dominant win over the Texans in the second game of Wednesday’s Netflix doubleheader — in the AFC North with one week remaining.

Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) is sacked by the Chiefs’ Tershawn Wharton (98) on Dec. 25, 2024. Getty Images

The Steelers need to beat the Bengals in Week 18 and need the Ravens to lose to the Browns to secure the division and the Wild Card round home game that comes with it.

“It’s got to be a want-to,” Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith told reporters after the loss, per ESPN. “There’s not enough of that right now. There’s got to be a want-to. It’s that time of the year where we got two guaranteed games left. We’re going to find out … who wants this. Everybody in this room got to want it. That’s the only way we’re going to move on and get better.”